Like a Wilted Rose
by Katarina Sparrow 19
Summary: So, my English assignment was to re-write the end of Romeo & Juliet, I really liked the way it turned out. I was very rudely told this was in the wrong section, so I moved it. It involves a hilarious cat fight, a vicious trial, and one gruesome beheading


Like a Wilted Rose

Disclaimer: I am very obviously not Shakespeare so obviously I don't own Romeo and Juliet (sorry if I spelled the name wrong)

Author's Note: Hi! This is just something I wrote for an English assignment. We had to re-write the ending of Romeo and Juliet so here is my version of it. This is all there is going to be so do not ask me for more. Enjoy (please review) )

Chorus: Juliet has taken a sleeping potion and lies still in the Capulet's tomb. The plan had been for Romeo to meet her at the hour of her awakening but the bad news reaches Romeo before the good. His servant Balthazar comes with news of his beloved's death in the city of Mantua.

[Enter Balthazar and Romeo

Balthazar: Good morning Romeo!

Romeo: Good Morning Balthazar! What news is there of my wife? Of my father? Tell me Balthazar, how are things in the fair city of Verona?!

Balthazar: Not as well as you would hope.

Romeo: Good Balthazar, do not tell me things are bad. Can't you see the pain on my face that was just moments ago smiling? Tell me Balthazar, what has happened?

Balthazar: I'm afraid Juliet is lying dead in the Capulet's tomb next to her cousin Tybalt.

_Romeo's face becomes clouded with miser and tears leap to his eyes, threatening to spill over. He looks at Balthazar as the pain sets into his heart._

Romeo: Do not say dead, say any other word but dead. I beg of you Balthazar do not tell me my beloved is dead.

Balthazar: How I wish I could've come here with any other word but dead. However I'm afraid it's so, Juliet lies dead in the Capulet's tomb.

Romeo: Then I will go to her! I shall leave this place at once! I shall lie with my wife tonight!

Balthazar: Do you want me to come with you Romeo?

Romeo: No, stay here. Thank you for the news, I bid you goodbye.

[Exit Romeo

_Romeo knocks on the Apothecary's door as the sun sets crimson waves across the sky._

[Enter Apothecary

Apothecary: What?

Romeo: It is Romeo, I wish to purchase a poison.

_A gruff looking man opens the door, scratching his stubbly beard. He motions quickly for Romeo to come inside. Romeo follows him into the dimly lit room. Quickly the Apothecary shuts and locks the door before turning to Romeo._

Apothecary: What desperate man would choose such a grim fate?

Romeo: A man with nothing to loose and everything to gain.

Apothecary: I can not give you the poison. It's against the law, if you or I were found out it would be my head on the block!

Romeo: Please, I beg of you, I'm desperate!

_The apothecary disappears from the room and returns with a small blue vile._

Apothecary: Drink this, it is a poison that could kill twenty men. You shall be dead before your body hits the floor.

Romeo: Thank you good man I shall make the act of my death quick, you will not be found out. Here are some coins for your trouble.

[Exit Romeo

_Romeo hands the man a small sack and disappears heading for Verona. He arrives at the Capulet tomb by nightfall. However outside the tomb he is met by an angry Paris._

[Enter Paris &Romeo

Paris: What business have you at the tomb of the Capulet's? Your shoes are not fit to walk this hollowed ground!

Romeo; Please dear Paris I beg you, do not start a fight tonight. I only wish to see Juliet.

Paris: More like you only wish to loot her grave!

_Paris draws his sword and points it at Romeo's throat._

Romeo: Do not do this! No innocent blood need be shed tonight. Let me go on my way in peace!

Paris: I will not let you pass. Draw! Draw you coward and fight if you are so desperate to see the fair Juliet! Your eyes are not fit to gaze upon her beauty!

_Romeo draws his sword and the two begin to fight. Paris thrusts at Romeo making a gaping wound over his heart. Romeo stabs Paris and he falls to the earth with a thud, Romeo's sword still driven through his heart. Romeo silently makes his way into the Capulet's tomb._

Romeo: Juliet!

_Romeo rushes to the side of Juliet, weeping in his grief. He gently touches his wife's face, not knowing she is still alive._

Romeo: Juliet, oh my sweet, sweet Juliet! Death has ripped you away from me before your time, sucked true beauty from the world like a wilted rose. Oh sweet Juliet! Look how death has taken your breath but not your beauty! You still have scarlet in your face and your cheeks, like the crimson in the petals of a rose. Not yet has death been able to wilt you.

_Romeo lies down over his beloved Juliet and gently kisses her lips. He does not know that any second now his love will be awakening from the sleeping potion. _

Romeo: Lips, steal your last kiss off my beloved Juliet. Let the tenderness of her touch be the last thing I know in this sickening world.

_Romeo kisses Juliet sweetly for the last time. Slowly he uncorks the bottle and drinks what he believes to be poison. Little does he know, the apothecary, unable to deal with the guilt of taking a human life, has given him a sleeping potion. It is the same potion his wife had taken just a few hours before._

Romeo: I feel the cold upon my breath and the ice that coats me from the inside out. Come sweet death, I welcome your withered, snarled hands to lead me to the next life. With my father's dagger in one hand and my fate in the other, I welcome the opportunity to see my beloved again.

_Romeo falls limp and the dagger rests on his chest. He has strategically placed it there so it will look as though he killed him self with the weapon and not the poison. True to his word, he was making sure the apothecary would not be found out._

_Juliet's eyes flutter open and she observes the world around her. It is only after her eyes scan the entire candle lit tomb that they come to rest on Romeo lying still beside her._

Juliet: Romeo! What cruel fate is this that you do not stand here to lead me to Mantua? What sick humor death must have to rip you away from me! Oh Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, Ro...me...o!

_Juliet's words break as she throws herself on top of her beloved and cradles his face, coated with the icy likeness of death._

Juliet: I feel your cheeks, cold as the walls of this tomb! You have gone and left me here Romeo.

_Juliet spies a bloody dagger lying on Romeo's chest. She picks it up in her hand as noises grow outside._

Juliet: Come dagger, I beg of you! Reunite me with my Romeo!

[Enter Watchman 1&2

Watchman 1: See here, the blood leads inside the tomb!

Watchman 2: Well then let us see who has invaded this hollowed place and destroyed it with the murder of the noble count Paris.

_Both Watchmen now notice Juliet, bloody dagger in hand, kneeling over the dead Romeo. Her clothes are covered in his blood. _

Watchman 1: Freeze!

_Juliet turns with fear in her eyes to see the watchman and quickly lets the dagger fall from her hand..._

[The scene fades away and then opens to a court room the following afternoon.

[Enter Juliet, Prince, Montague, Lady Montague, Capulet, and Lady Capulet

Prince: Juliet Capulet, you have been charged with the murder of Romeo the Montague. How do you plea?

Juliet: Not guilty.

Prince: You were seen in the Capulet's tomb, a bloody knife in hand! His blood is on your clothes. A gash above his heart proves his death! He had murdered your fiance'. Where is your proof it is not you that has killed him?

Juliet: I have only the love in my heart my lord.

Prince: Love would only justify your crime, not excuse it.

Juliet: No my lord, you have it all wrong. The day before all this began, before the murder of my sweet cousin and the banishment. Before the whole event at the Capulet's tomb, I was married to Romeo the Montague.

_General outcries arose from the court around her. Prince calls for order as a commotion threatens to break loose. Juliet's expression is as unreadable as an unwritten book. _

Prince: You give a very good excuse to be sure, but where is the proof of this marriage?

Juliet: Bring forth the good Friar Laurence, he will tell you so!

Prince: Friar Laurence died of a heart attack yesterday afternoon.

Juliet: My nurse! She knew of the marriage! She helped us on our wedding night itself!

Prince: The nurse is to crazy to be trusted.

Juliet: Please, I beg you to see reason! This was my husband's desperate act of suicide because he believed me to be dead! I took a sleeping potion to escape being remarried to the noble count Paris! How else could this have happened? Why else would I have faked my own death?!

Lady Montague: LIES!! Prince I tell you she lies to save herself!

Montague: Calm down my sweet wife our son will see justice.

Lady Capulet: And who are you to call my daughter a liar?!

Lady Montague: Pompous witch!

Lady Capulet: Ignorant savage!

_The two start clawing and swinging at each other as chaos erupts through the court room. Both Capulet and Montague try to calm their wives down._

Montague: Please my wife be still.

Lady Montague: Psychotic sea cow!!!

Lady Capulet: Crazy old hag!!!!

Capulet: Dear, I didn't know you knew those words!

Prince [pounding gavel: ORDER!!! ORDER IN THE COURT!!

_The four settle down and the prince continues._

Prince: This is all a likely story, and I must admit a very well rehearsed story...however. It is my ruling that you will be executed by way of beheading when the sun rises over the horizon. Court is adjourned.

[Exit all characters, Juliet is led out by guard

_The sun rises clear and cool over the morning, bringing dawn to the fair city of Verona. Romeo stirs in the Capulet's tomb only to realize he has not been poisoned but put into a deep sleep. He also comes to the realization that his wife was gone, she too, was never dead. Panicking, he runs towards town._

_Juliet is led out to a chopping block on a hill over looking the city, more commonly known as skull hill. Her parents stand there weeping; the Montagues stand silent as the grave. She is lead to the block and kneels down._

[Enter executioner and Prince

Prince: Juliet Capulet, you are charged, tried, and convicted of the murder of Romeo the Montague. Let it be known on this day you shall be put to death when the sun rises.

_Romeo runs into town and bumps into Benvolio in the town square._

[enter Benvolio & Romeo

Benvolio: ROMEO! The world thought you dead!

Romeo: Never mind that now! Where is Juliet?!

Benvolio: She is up on skull hill, ready to be put to death!

Romeo: What on earth has happened while I was away?!

Benvolio: Juliet was tried and convicted for your murder!

[Exit Romeo, running at full speed towards skull hill

Prince: You may now have your last words.

Juliet: I say only that what I said in the court room was true, I loved Romeo the Montague, and I still do.

Prince: EXECUTIONER!!!

_The Executioner raises the axe in the air just as dawn breaks over Verona. Over the hill a desperate cry rings as Romeo approaches._

[Enter Romeo

Romeo: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_Juliet just catches sight of her beloved Romeo as the axe comes thundering down. Their eyes meet and that is the last thing she knows in this world._

Chorus: And her body crumpled away from the block like a wilted rose.


End file.
